1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable information processing apparatuses such as a portable computer or a portable wordprocessor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in portable computers having a keyboard or portable computers of an integrated display/input type using a tablet and a pen, many of the computers use a memory card having a volatile memory in order to increase the memory capacity of the computers. A portable computer in which this memory card can be fitted has a card slot exposed outside the housing, and the card slot is closed with a cover unless the memory card is mounted or dismounted from the housing. In recent years, there have been developed an interface card, having almost the same shape as that of the memory card, for communicating with an external device, or an application card having almost the same shape as that of the memory card and storing an application program. Since the portable computer in which this interface or application card can be detachably mounted may use the interface or application card together with the memory card, the portable computer has an interface/application card slot in addition to the memory card slot. In communication between the external device and this portable computer by means of the interface card, an external cable must be connected to the interface card mounted in the card slot. For this reason, the card slot cannot be closed with the cover due to the presence of the external cable.
In the portable computer having an interface or application card slot in addition to a memory card slot, a connector to which a card is to be connected is arrange in each card slot. These connectors are mounted on a circuit board arranged in the computer housing. When the computer has only one circuit board, the plurality of connectors are laterally aligned on the board, and the card slots are laterally aligned in the side surface of the housing accordingly. The ratio of the area of the card slots to the area of the entire side surface of the computer housing increases to interfere with arrangement of a power switch, various connectors and the like on the side surface of the computer housing.
In the computer housing is arranged an ejector for guiding the card, which is inserted into the housing through the card slot, to the connector and for ejecting the card outside the housing. This ejector is arranged for each card slot. For this reason, when a plurality of ejectors are laterally aligned on the circuit board of the housing, a large space is required for the ejectors, thereby failing to provide a compact computer.
when a volatile memory card slot and an interface or application card slot are to be closed with one cover, an operator may erroneously remove the memory card although he actually wants to remove the interface or application card. When the memory card is erroneously removed, important data is erased because the memory card comprises a volatile memory.
In the computer in which an interface card can be detachably mounted, an external cable is connected to the interface card, so that the cover of the slot cannot be closed upon mounting the interface card. When the cover cannot be closed, the interior of the computer is exposed, and dust and the like tends to enter inside the computer, thereby causing erroneous operations and failures of the computer.